Hedda Gabler: every role by lines, words, and stage time

Henrik Ibsen, translated by Edmund Gosse and William Archer. 7 speaking roles, 20,200 words, about 144 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Hedda has the most to say in Hedda Gabler: about 910 lines and 6,272 words, 31% of the play. Hedda Gabler follows General Gabler’s daughter, just home from a six-month wedding tour with the scholar George Tesman and already bored to the bone. Hedda holds about 31% of the words and speaks in all four acts, almost entirely in short, sharp exchanges: her longest single speech is about 60 words, so the part is built from reactions, not set pieces. Tesman has nearly a quarter, Judge Brack about 15%, and Lövborg, the rival who changes everything, appears only in Acts 2 and 3.

Speaking roles: 7
Scenes: 4
Words: 20,200
Speech time: 144 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Hedda	910	6,272	31%	44.8	4
Tesman	611	4,671	23.1%	33.4	4
Brack	416	3,020	15%	21.6	4
Mrs. Elvsted	332	2,402	11.9%	17.2	4
Miss Tesman	213	1,698	8.4%	12.1	2
Lövborg	236	1,668	8.3%	11.9	2
Berta	61	469	2.3%	3.4	3

Who speaks in which scene

Darker cells mean more words in that scene. Use it to plan rehearsal calls, or to see how long an actor waits between entrances.

Role	Act 1	Act 2	Act 3	Act 4
Hedda
Tesman
Brack
Mrs. Elvsted
Miss Tesman
Lövborg
Berta

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Brack: “Yes, the scandal—of which you are so mortally …”	Act 4	97	10
Lövborg: “Suppose now, Hedda, that a man—in the small ho…”	Act 3	81	9
Miss Tesman: “Oh, no—we can scarcely look for any improvemen…”	Act 1	62	7
Tesman: “Well, I and some of the others went home with …”	Act 3	61	7
Hedda: “Thanks! So you see it was this enthusiasm for …”	Act 2	60	6
Tesman: “Yes, if you only knew how I had been looking f…”	Act 1	59	6
Tesman: “Well but, Judge Brack—it would show the most i…”	Act 1	58	6
Mrs. Elvsted: “And now I beg and implore you, Mr. Tesman—rece…”	Act 1	57	6
Miss Tesman: “Have I any other happiness in this world excep…”	Act 1	54	6
Lövborg: “Yes, Hedda, and when I made my confessions to …”	Act 2	54	6

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Hedda Gabler?

Hedda, with about 910 lines and 6,272 words, 31% of everything spoken in the play. Tesman is next, with about 611 lines (23.1%).

How long is Hedda Gabler?

The full text has 20,200 spoken words, about 144 minutes at 140 words a minute before pauses, scene changes, and cuts. Most productions cut the text, so running times vary.

How many speaking roles are in Hedda Gabler?

7 named roles speak in this edition, across 4 scenes. 0 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.